My grandmother, Marie Lorain, created the Côte Saint Jacques straight after the war. But it was my parents, Michel and Jacqueline, who turned the family guesthouse into a luxury hotel from 1958 on. To the point of making it one of the finest eating places in France.
I started cooking when I was still very little! I grew up with it, and it very soon became clear to me that I wanted to carry on the family business. In 1977, after taking my final school-leaving exams, I went to Troisgros, then to Le Taillevent in Paris and Girardet’s in Crissier, before joining my father in 1983.
I came back to the property shortly before the creation of the hotel on the banks of the River Yonne and the construction of the famous tunnel under the N6, a jubilant period for our cuisine as we were awarded our third star that same year.
If I had to define my cooking in a few words, I’d say: Creativity, Simplicity, Travel, Respect for Produce, Texture, Playfulness.
France
